Toy top utilizing a moving picutre apparatus

ABSTRACT

A toy top is disclosed having a main body member rotatable about its base. Conventional screw drive means are threadedly engageable with the main body member to impart a rotary motion to the top upon reciprocation of the screw. The main body member includes a plate mounted for rotation about the base having a graphic surface of sequential pictures peripherally mounted thereon. The body member further includes a transparent dome located over the graphic surface and rotatable therewith having a plurality of dark surfaces intermittently spaced about the periphery thereof. The intermittent spaces form viewing slots and are oriented in such a manner that the line of sight of the operator to the graphic surface extends through the viewing slots. Upon revolving the top, the sequential pictures thereon when viewed through the slots, give the illusion of natural and continuous movement.

United; States Patent Jones et al.

5] Feb. 8, 1972 Gerald W. Schmidt, Woodland Hills; Jay Smith, III,Pacific Palisades, all of Calif.

[73] Assignee: California R & D Center, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles,Calif.

[22] Filed: Feb. 9, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 9,891

[52] US. Cl ..46/49, 46/65, 46/68 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63h 1/22 [58] Fieldof Search ..46/48, 49, 52, 59, 64, 65

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,717,868 6/1929 Zick..46/49 1,393,148 10/1921 McQuarrie ...46/47 1,985,716 12/1934 Bueschel...46/68 2,752,816 7/1956 Austing ..46/59 Primary ExaminerLouis G.Mancene Assistant ExaminerRobert F. Cutting AttorneyJackson & Jones [57]ABSTRACT A toy top is disclosed having a main body member rotatableabout its base. Conventional screw drive means are threadedly engageablewith the main body member to impart a rotary motion to the top uponreciprocation of the screw. The main body member includes a platemounted for rotation about the base having a graphic surface ofsequential pictures peripherally mounted thereon. The body memberfurther includes a transparent dome located over the graphic surface androtatable therewith having a plurality of dark surfaces intermittentlyspaced about the periphery thereof. The intennittent spaces form viewingslots and are oriented in such a manner that the line of sight of theoperator to the graphic surface extends through the viewing slots. Uponrevolving the top, the sequential pictures thereon when viewed throughthe slots, give the illusion of natural and continuous movement.

8 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures TOY TOP UTILIZING A MOVING PICUTRE APPARATUSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The presentinvention relates to toy tops, and more particularly to means forincorporating a moving picture apparatus on the toy tops.

2. Description of the Prior Art Revolving tops have been'a source ofamusement for children for hundreds of years. Such tops have been madein countless shapes and forms. One type of top that still remains verypopular is the type that is rotatably driven by mechanical drive means.These drive means usually include an elongated helical screwreciprocably mounted within the top body and threadedly engageabletherewith to impart a rotary motion in one direction to the top upon adownward movement of the screw. The top body usually includes brightcolors and designs located thereon which emit blurred patterns when thetop is rotated. Although these blurred patterns are pleasing, thepresent invention includes another feature; i.e., incorporating a movingpicture apparatus within the top structure to enable the child viewingthe apparatus to get the illusion of natural and continuous movementfrom a series of sequential pictures drawn on a surface of the top.

The teaching of observing moving" pictures through slots on a revolvingdrum is, of course, very old. In fact, the devices utilizing thisteaching were a precursor of the modern motion picture machines. Thesedevices evolved from a theory expounded by Peter Mark Roget in 1824 inhis paper Persistence of Vision With Regard to Moving Objects. In hispaper Roget theorized that an image of a moving object is retained bythe eye for a fraction of a second longer than it actually appears. Inother words, when an eye sees a brightly lighted object it continues torecord what it has seen for a fraction of a second after the light goesout.

. In 1832 Joseph Antoine Plateau of the University of Kent and SimonRitter von Stampfer of Vienna simultaneously discovered a method forviewing a series of pictures representing phases of motion. The work ofPlateau and von Stampfer gave rise subsequently to the invention of theZoetrope or Wheel of Life, a familiar parlor toy in which bands ofdrawings of clowns, jugglers or frisking animals were brought to lifewhen viewed through slots of a revolving drum.

The Zoetrope included a revolving drum having a series of sequentialpictures mounted on the inner rim of the drum with the picture beingobserved through slots formed on the periphery of the drum. As the drumrevolves the viewer instantaneously looks through one of the slots andobserves one of the pictures. The drum then continues to rotate with anin termittent dark space next coming into the line of sight. The nextpicture then comes into view showing the next phase of motion. Theintermittent dark spaces and slots showing the progressive phases ofmotion of the sequential pictures continue to come into view with theviewers persistence of vision filling the dark intervals and the actionof the series of pictures appears continuous. A modern motion pictureprojector functions in the same manner with a slotted disk rotating in atimed relationship with the movement of the film to produce the illusionof continuous movement on the screen.

All of these moving picture devices up to the present day usually hadmotor means for rotating the drum or else the drum was merely rotated byhand. The first method was un satisfactory because it was usuallyexpensive, and the drive means was complex. The second method was alsounsatisfactory since the operator could not maintain the drum at asuffieiently sustained speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention obviates the aboveshortcomings by incorporating a moving picture apparatus on a toy topstructure to enable the apparatus to be easily rotated at a sustainedspeed. The toy top includes a main body member rotatable about its base.Conventional screw drive means are threadedly engageable with the mainbody member to impart a rotary motion to the top upon reciprocation ofthe screw. The main body member includes a plate mounted for rotationabout the base having a graphic surface of sequential picturesperipherally mounted thereon. The body member further includes atransparent dome located over the graphic surface and rotatabletherewith having a plurality of dark surfaces intermittently spacedabout the periphery thereof. The intermittent spaces form viewing slotsand are oriented with respect to the graphic surface to permit a viewerto look through the slots while the body member is revolving and see thesequential pictures located on the graphic surfaces with the images ofthese objects giving the illusion of continuous motion. The rest of thedome is clear to enable ambient light to enter therethrough toilluminate the pictures.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a motion pictureapparatus incorporated in a top structure utilizing the top drivingmeans to maintain the apparatus in a sustained rotary motion.

Another object is to provide a toy that is easily operable and that canprovide many hours of enjoyment to the user.

Another object is to provide an educational toy which will clearlyillustrate the basic principal behind motion picture machines.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an elevational viewpartially in section of the toy top of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, FIG.I shows a toy top, generally indicated by arrow 10, having a main bodymember 11 rotatably mounted on a support shaft 13 which is fixedlymounted on a stand 15. The base 17 of the main body member 11 isjournaled on the shaft 13 and is supported by means of a washer andtongue means 19. The base 17 is integrally connected to a dish 21, theperiphery of which is flanged to supportingly engage the outerextremities of a plate 23 and a dome 25.

The plate 23 is rotatable with the base assembly and includes a graphicsurface 27 having a sequential series of pietures 29 peripherallymounted thereon. The pictures may depict any object with each sequentialpicture progressively representing a phase of a continuous motion. Theplate 23 is apertured to receive a pole 31 which is adapted to receivethe support shaft 13 at its lower extremity and a screw drive means atits upper extremity.

The dome 25 is transparent and includes a plurality of dark sections 33intermittently spaced about the periphery thereof. The intermittentspaces form viewing slots 35, the operation of which will be describedhereinafter. The dark sections can be made of any opaque paint of othercover material.

The top 10 is driven by a conventional drive assembly 37, comprising ahandle 39 connected to an elongated helical screw (not shown) extendingthrough the top cowling 41 and through the pole 31. The helical screw isreciproeable within the cowling 41 and is adapted to drivingly engage athreaded portion thereof to impart a rotary motion to the top 10 upon adownward movement of the screw.

In operation the top 10 is driven in the conventional manner with thehelical screw rotatably driving the top 10 as it is reciprocated by theoperator. The viewing slots 35 and the graphic surface 27 are orientedin such a manner that the line of vision of the operator extends throughthe slots to the graphic surface 27 It should be noted that the graphicsurface 27 is inwardly inclined to enable the sequential pictures 29 tobe perpendicular to the operators line of sight. Another importantadvantage is that the dome 25 has clear areas 44 to permit ambient lightto enter therethrough to sufficiently illuminate the pictures 29.

Upon rotation of the top the viewer looks through the viewing slots 35as they revolve before him, and is able to see the sequential pictures29 with the illusion of continuous movement created thereby in themanner earlier described.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment where the graphic surface is located ona flat plate 45 with the the operation of the top being the same as theembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

It should be noted that various modifications can be made to theapparatus while still remaining within the purview of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy top comprising:

a rotatable base having an upwardly facing surface displaying sequentialpictures about the periphery thereat which depict progressive segmentsof movement; and

a dome mounted on said base and rotatable therewith, said dome having aplurality of slots formed about the periphery thereof which are orientedin such a manner that the line of sight of the viewer extends throughthe slots to the upwardly facing surface, said slots functioning as ashutter, whereby, upon rotation of said base and dome, the sequentialpictures, when viewed through the slots, give the illusion of naturaland continuous movement.

2. A toy top comprising:

a rotatable base having an upwardly facing surface displaying sequentialpictures about the periphery thereat which depict progressive segmentsof movement;

hand operable means for rotating said base; and

a dome mounted on said base and rotatable therewith, said dome having aplurality of slots formed about the periphery thereof which are orientedin such a manner that the line of sight of the viewer extends throughthe slots to the upwardly facing surface, said slots functioning as ashutter, whereby, upon rotation of said base and dome, the sequentialpictures, when viewed through the slots, give the illusion of naturaland continuous movement.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said dome is transparent.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said slots are formed by a pluralityof elongated dark sections intermittently spaced about the periphery ofsaid transparent dome.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said dark sections extend partiallydown the surface of said dome to permit ambient light to illuminate thegraphic surface of said base.

6. The invention of claim 4 wherein said graphic surface of said base isinwardly inclined to enable the sequential pictures to be perpendicularto the operators line of sight.

7. The invention of claim 4 wherein said graphic surface of said base isflat and rotates in a horizontal plane.

8. The invention of claim 2 wherein said hand operable means includesreciprocable screw means drivingly engaged to said toy top.

1. A toy top comprising: a rotatable base having an upwardly facingsurface displaying sequential pictures about the periphery thereat whichdepict progressive segments of movement; and a dome mounted on said baseand rotatable therewith, said dome having a plurality of slots formedabout the periphery thereof which are oriented in such a manner that theline of sight of the viewer extends through the slots to the upwardlyfacing surface, said slots functioning as a shutter, whereby, uponrotation of said base and dome, the sequential pictures, when viewedthrough the slots, give the illusion of natural and continuous movement.2. A toy top comprising: a rotatable base having an upwardly facingsurface displaying sequential pictures about the periphery thereat whichdepict progressive segments of movement; hand operable means forrotating said base; and a dome mounted on said base and rotatabletherewith, said dome having a plurality of slots formed about theperiphery thereof which are oriented in such a manner that the line ofsight of the viewer extends through the slots to the upwardly facingsurface, said slots functioning as a shutter, whereby, upon rotation ofsaid base and dome, the sequential pictures, when viewed through theslots, give the illusion of natural and continuous movement.
 3. Theinvention of claim 2 wherein said dome is transparent.
 4. The inventionof claim 3 wherein said slots are formed by a plurality of elongateddark sections intermittently spaced about thE periphery of saidtransparent dome.
 5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said dark sectionsextend partially down the surface of said dome to permit ambient lightto illuminate the graphic surface of said base.
 6. The invention ofclaim 4 wherein said graphic surface of said base is inwardly inclinedto enable the sequential pictures to be perpendicular to the operatorsline of sight.
 7. The invention of claim 4 wherein said graphic surfaceof said base is flat and rotates in a horizontal plane.
 8. The inventionof claim 2 wherein said hand operable means includes reciprocable screwmeans drivingly engaged to said toy top.